Ferrari was a hit with a carefully selected broadcast of F1 in Team Radio Message during China’s Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclair swapped positions early in Sunday’s race in Shanghai after Leclair was stuck behind his teammates but couldn’t get close enough to overtake them.
Feeling he’s hugging Leclerc, seven-time world champion Hamilton told Ferrari that he’s considering letting go of his teammates as he’s struggling with his pace.
“I’m struggling and I think I’m going to let go of Charles,” Hamilton radioed to Ferrari.
However, this message was not broadcast by the F1 administrator.
However, a later exchange was made between Hamilton and new race engineer Riccarded Adami when Ferrari ordered the driver to replace positions on the same lap.
Ferrari told Leclerc on lap 18 that “Lewis will make you 14 turns,” but Hamilton replied, “I will do that when he’s approaching.”
On lap 20, Ferrari called for a position swap on turn 14, but this did not happen in a row on lap 3.
Hamilton hears, “I’ll tell you when we exchange,” implying that he wasn’t satisfied with the order. Hamilton ultimately let Leclair go in the past on Turn 1, not Turn 14, as requested.
Clearly confused by what he’s playing, Leclerc sounds disappointed with team radio, “This is a shame. The pace is there,” when Hamilton refuses to allow him on lap 20.
Fans watching on TV probably wouldn’t have been aware that Hamilton was the first to propose a swap. This gave the impression that Hamilton refused to follow the team’s orders.
Ferrari criticizes “joke” radio broadcast
Ferrari boss Fred Vasser was unhappy with the radio broadcast
“I think this is a joke from FOM, because the first call came from Lewis,” Fred Vasser, headmaster of the Ferrari team, told the Shanghai media.
“Lewis asked us to exchange, but to create confusion around the situation, they will only air the second part of the question. We will discuss it with them.
“I can’t imagine the number of questions I had about this when I came here from the garage,” he said. “It’s all the same: ‘Is that a mess?’ I said no, it was Lewis who asked for the swap.
“I don’t think I’ve had these situations on other teams ten times during the season. To be honest, we’re really grateful for the call from Lewis.
“After a lap to ask him to trade for Charles, the pace came back. He said, ‘Oh, let’s stay like this,’ and ‘No, if you increase the pace we exchanged.’
“As a team, the collaboration between the two guys is mega and I can’t complain about something for a second.
“I understand this question, but you have to ask Stefano (Domenicali, F1 President and CEO). I’m not me because I’m not in charge of broadcasting.”
Ahead of the weekend, Hamilton complained about the negative reaction to radio exchanges airing at the season-opening Grand Prix, which appears to suggest that his relationship with Adami is not going well.
It proved to be a holiday for Ferrari in China. Leclerc and Hamilton took fifth and sixth place on the road, but were later disqualified for failing post-race scrutiny checks.